Africa’s destiny lies in the hands of its people and leaders, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba, has said.

Gen. Nyamvumba, who was on Tuesday opening a workshop bringing together 40 military attachés from the continent, also challenged the officers to seek a common understanding on the conflicts on the continent.

The workshop that is underway at Rwanda Peace Academy in Musanze District seeks to find lasting solutions to conflicts in African with special emphasis on the Great Lakes Region.

The officers include 30 who represent their countries at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They are in the country under the auspices of their own umbrella, Military Attachés Association. 

"As individual military diplomats, you have vast knowledge and experience. You can and should contribute to peace and security in various capacities as analysts, advocates and practitioners, and as an organised association of defence diplomats you can even make more effective contribution,” said Nyamvumba.

He said Africa is faced with many problems, particularly the intra-state conflicts in the Great Lakes region.

"Conflict analysis in the region must put conflicts into proper context and perspective; social, political and historical evolutions of the conflicts must be contextualised into the right geographical framework. It is only then that a correct formula and approach can be designed to resolve the conflict,” he said.

The UN Resident Coordinator, Lamin Mamadou Manneh, hailed the military attachés for choosing Rwanda as their first field visit, saying the synergy they have created will contribute concrete ways of resolving conflicts in Africa.

"There can’t be sustainable development without stability. Now that Africa is on the move, we need all hands on the deck to help with the definitive resolution of conflicts and their prevention,” he said, promising the UN support.